1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to clamping devices that are used to grab and carry miscellaneous items, and more particularly, to a grabber apparatus especially adapted to grab and carry items from a location remote from and above the items.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Devices designed to grab and carry miscellaneous items are well known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,745 of Langguth discloses a grabber that has a trigger mechanism and that is carried by a marine mammal to a heavy object to be retrieved by a hoist line. Although this grabber is placed on an object at a location remote from a human operator, the human operator is not in control of placement of the grabber. It would be desirable, therefore, if a grabber could be controlled directly by a human operator to be placed near a remote object to be grabbed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,344 of Pratt discloses a device for grabbing a plant having a root system confined in a ball of earth. A flexible strip is placed around the ball of earth in belt-like fashion, and the strip is wound to tightly grip the ball. However, many objects that may be grabbed, because of their shape and size, are not capable of being surrounded by a belt-like grabber. Instead, many objects are more amenable to being grabbed by a grabber which includes two opposing jaws. In this respect, it would be desirable if a grabber that has opposing jaws could be controlled directly by a human operator from a remote location.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,864 of Sample discloses an arm mounted, hand operated leaf and trash grabber that has two rake like gathering heads. A hand operated grabber does not permit remote operation of the grabber.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,779 of Glessner et al discloses an apparatus for picking up a smooth flat mechanical part by using a vacuum system. The vacuum system requires the use of complex vacuum-generating equipment, and for the vacuum to be effective, it requires that the object being picked up have a surface susceptible of forming a vacuum seal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,957 of Traber discloses a hand-actuated pick-up tool that has pick-up fingers that are biased apart by springs and that are clamped together by hand pressure. As mentioned above, a hand operated grabber does not permit remote operation of the grabber. Moreover, for a remotely controlled grabber, it would be desirable if the grabber jaws were biased to close, not open, the grabber so that once the grabber was closed, it would exert a steady grabbing force on the object being grabbed.
Another situation begs for the use of a grabber. When a hunter, such as a bow hunter, stays in an elevated stand in a tree, if the hunter drops something which falls on the ground, the hunter would not be able to retrieve such fallen items unless he climbs down the tree. It would be desirable, therefore, if the hunter could remotely retrieve such fallen items without climbing down from the tree. A remotely controlled grabber would be desirable in such a case.
Thus, while the body of prior art discussed above indicates it to be well known to use hand-operated grabbers, remotely operated grabbers that are controlled by marine animals, complex vacuum-employing grabbers, and belt-containing grabbers, the provision of a more simple and cost effective grabber apparatus is not contemplated. Nor does the prior art described above teach or suggest a remotely-controlled grabber apparatus that is controlled directly by a human operator and that has spring-biased, opposing jaws that clamp on the grabbed object with grabbing pressure exerted by the biasing spring. The foregoing disadvantages in the prior art are overcome by the unique grabber apparatus of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.
In this respect, before explaining at least two preferred embodiments of the invention in detail, it is understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood, that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for designing other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing Abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. Accordingly, the Abstract is neither intended to define the invention or the application, which only is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved grabber apparatus which has all of the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved grabber apparatus which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved grabber apparatus which is of durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved grabber apparatus which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such grabber apparatus available to the buying public.
Still yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved grabber apparatus that can be controlled directly by a human operator to be placed near a remote object to be grabbed.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a grabber apparatus that has opposing jaws or arms that can be controlled directly by a human operator.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a grabber apparatus which includes grabber jaws or arms that are biased to close the grabber so that once the grabber is closed, the jaws or arms exert a steady grabbing force on the object being grabbed.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a grabber apparatus which enables a person who is on an elevated platform in a tree, to remotely retrieve items which have fallen to the ground without climbing down the tree.
These together with still other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and form a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.